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(The Hoffman Line)
This family is of Swedish origin though
the name is distinguished in Dutch and
German literature. It is not improbably
that the Dutch and the German families
are of Swedish extraction and travelling
originally from Sweden, as in the time
of Gustavus Adolphus in the seventeenth
century large numbers of Scandinavians
removed to Holland and Germany.
The name in the Scandinavian dialect seems
to have been at first Hoppman, signifying
in Swedish the same as Hoffman in Dutch,
namely "Man of Hope."
Arthur on "Family Names" says:
"Hoffman: Dutch from Hoofdman, a
captain, or director, or head or chief
man. Also Hofman, from Hof, a court,
the man of the court." There
were several individuals of the name of
Hoffman who arrived in some of the early
migrations of the Swedes to Delaware,
who were included among those transferred
by Governor Stuyvesant (on his conquest
of New Sweden to prevent a revolution
among them in favor of Queen Christina
of Sweden) to the city of Amsterdam where
they commingled Swedish blood with the
Dutch population of the city in which
the Dutch predominated.
(I) Martin
Hermanzen Hoffman, son of Hermann Hoffman,
was born in 1625 at Revel (on the gulf of
Finland, at that period belonging to Sweden,
but now part of the Russian Empire, having
been conquered by Peter the Great in 1710).
He is said to have been Ritmaster in the
army of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. It is
probable that he was living prior to the
emigration to America at Ezen, Ostenbenzie,
Holland, for Martin Hoffman was authorized
by his brother-in-law, Tjerck Claesen de
Witte, (the ancestor of the De Witte family,
of New York), to recover some property for
him at Ezen, Holland. Martin emigrated to
America about 1657. He settled at Esopus
(Kingston), where in 1658 he joined with the
other residents in the vicinity (against the
orders of the garrison there) in an attack
on the Indians. He removed to New
Amsterdam (New York) where, according to
the directory of the city published in 1661,
he was living in De Hure straat (Broadway)
in that year and was a large taxpayer and an
extensive auctioneer. He continued for some
time here and here at least two of his
children were born, following the
contracting of two marriages. From New
Amsterdam he removed to Albany, then known
as
Page 89
Fort Orange, where in
1672 he was living in the house conveyed
to him in that year and which, with the
lot on which it stood, is referred to
as a boundary in other deeds. In
December, 1676, he sold this property
to Cornelius Cornelise Van de Hoeve and
bought another house and lot in Fort Orange,
where he was living and following the
occupation of a saddler in 1678.
Shortly afterwards he removed to Ulster
County, New York, and settled at Kingstowne.
"Martin Hoffman," received a
grant from the Crown of land in the "Towne
of Kingstowne," Ulster County, which
is recorded in the county clerk's office
at Kingston under date February 6, 1688.
In the roll of names and surnames of those
having taken the oath of allegiance in
the county of Ulster by order of the government,
September 1, 1689, are found the names
of Martin Hoffman, Terrick Claes De Witt
and Anthony Crispell. Martin Hoffman
married (first March 3, 1663, Lysbeth
Hermans, by whom he had no issue; (second)
May 16, 1664, Emmerentje Claesen de Witte.
Children: 1. Annetje, born 1665;
married Hendrick Pruyn; 2. Marretje,
1666; 3. Zacharias, married Hester Bruyn;
4. Nicolas, mentioned below; 5. Taatje,
married Everardus Bogardus.
(II) Nicolas, eldest son of Martin Hermanzen
and Emmerentje C. (De Witte) Hoffman,
was born at Kingstowne, Ulster County,
New York, about 1680. He settled
in Esopus (now Kingston) and the stone
mansion erected by him on the corner of
North Front and Green streets, once used
as a fort, is still standing and is occupied
by one of his descendants. Nicolas
made extensive purchases of property,
acquiring large estates in both Ulster
and Dutchess counties. He obtained
grants of land near Kingstowne from the
trustees in 1713 and 1721, and made purchases
of property from Gerrit Aertson in 11718
and from John Rutson in 1720 On
September 11, 1720, a conveyance was executed
from Colonel Peter Schuyler to Captain
Nicolas Hoffman of "land in Dutchess
county going by the name of Mastenbrock,
bounded southerly by the land of Barent
Van Benthuysen, easterly and northerly
by the manor of Livingston and westerly
by the Hudson river." the conveyance
is the first record we have of the possession
of property in Dutchess county by the
Hoffman family, who afterwards became
such extensive landowners in that county.
Nicolas Hoffman's name appears first in
the list of freeholders of the town of
Kingstowne in 1728 and in the census of
Dutchess county taken in 1740 he and his
son Martinus Hoffman are named as freeholders.
Among the English manuscripts in the office
of the secretary of state at Albany is
a muster roll of Captain Nicolas Hoffman's
company in Captain Jacob Rutsen's regiment,
Ulster County, November 21, 1715.
This military organization was in accordance
with the act entitled "An Act for
the Better Security and Defence of this
Province and the Settling of the Militia,"
passed by the council held at Fort Orange
in new York, July 1, 1715. Captain
Nicolas Hoffman commanded a company (Second)
of the Ulster county regiment at
Kingstowne in 1717, his commission being
signed by General Hunt, dated October
3, 1717. Nicolas Hoffman was a trustee
of the corporation at Kingstowne in 1712m
1720,m 1726, and treasurer of Kingstowne
in 1737. He was a deacon of the
Reformed Dutch church of Kingstowne and
in this capacity signed the petition for
the charter of this church which was obtained
from George I, November 17, 1719.
He married,
January, 1705, Jannerje Onatio Crispell,
born in Horley, February, 1686, daughter of
Antoine Crispell, a Huguenot, who settled in
that region and was one of the patentees of
New Paltz, Ulster County, New York,
Children: 1. Martinus, mentioned below; 2.
Antje, born 1709; 3. Anthony, 1711; married
Catherine Van Gaasbech; 4. Zacharias, 1713,
married (first) Helena Van Wyck, and
(second) Letitia (Brickerhoff) Van Wyck; 5.
Petrus, baptized at Kingstowne, December 2,
1716, died young; 6. Hendrick, baptized at
Kingstowne, June 7, 1719, died young; 7.
Anaatjen, baptized at Kingstowne, December
3, 1721, died young; 8. Maria, 1724, married
John Ten Broeck; 9, Peter, 1727, married
Catharine Van Alstyne.
(III)
Martinus, son of Nicolas and Jannetje (Crispell)
Hoffman, was born at Kingstowne, Ulster
county, New York, February 6, 1706-07. He
removed from the neighborhood of Kingstowne
to Dutchess county and settled, as did
several of his brothers, near Red Hook, on
the Hudson and east of it, on land purchased
by his fa-
Page 90
ther. Holgate says:
"It is from Martinus Hoffman and
his brothers that the branch of the family
in New York descends. This branch
has become affluent and highly distinguished
for literary attainments."
Martinus became occupied in the care of
his property, farming and cultivating
it and established, under his father,
the celebrated grist mill which gave the
name to the neighborhood of "Hoffman's
Mills." He was also a large purchaser
of real estate. February 19, 1755,
he received for the sum of nineteen hundred
pounds a conveyance of land in Dutchess
County. For many ears he was colonel
of the regiment stationed at Dutchess
county and the state archives at Albany
contain frequent references to him .
the public records show that in 1748 Martinus
Hoffman was endeavoring to conciliate
the Indians in Dutchess county, and April
15, 1767, a petition was presented to
the government by the native Indians claiming
lands "from a place called Waunaukarmackack,
a little south of where Colonel Hoffman
now lives and east of the Hudson."
Martinus was appointed justice of peace
for Dutchess county in 1750. In
1755 when an official list of negro slaves
"in Zacharias Hoffman's district,"
Dutchess county, was made, Colonel Martinus
Hoffman owned ten slaves, the largest
number held by any one person in Rhinebeck
precinct, and "he was a man of large
property and influence." He
was one of the original members of the
old Red church near Madalm, the ground
for which was given by his brother Zacharias.
He married
(first) in the Reformed Dutch church of New
York, October 19, 1733, Tryntje (Catharine),
born May 30, 1712, died March 31, 1765,
daughter of Robert and Cornelia (Roose)
Benson; (second) Alida born 1715, widow of
Henry Hemsen, of Harlem, New York.
Children by first marriage: 1. Cornelia,
born 1734, married Isaac Roosevelt; 2.
Nicholas, born 1736, married Sarah Ogden; 3.
Robert, 1737, married Sarah Van Alstyne; 4.
Anthony, 1738, married Mary Rutgers; 5.
Annatje, 1741, died young; 6. Maria, 1743,
married Rev. Dr. Archibald Laidlie; 7.
Harmanus, 1745, married (first) Catharine
Douw, (second) Cornelia Vredenburgh,
(third) Catharine Verplanck; 8. Martin,
1747, married Margaret Bayard; 9. Zacharias,
1749, married Jane Hoffman; child by second
marriage, Philip Livingston, mentioned
below.
(IV) Philip
Livingston, son of Martinus and Alida (Hemsen)
Hoffman, was born in New York, September 20,
1767, died November 25, 1807. He was a
lawyer and lived in Johnstown, New York. He
married, November 18, 1787, Helene, born May
16, 1769, only daughter of Benjamin and
Catherine (Rutgers) Kissam. Children: 1.
Catharine Ann, born 1788, married Daniel
Coolidge; 2. Alida, born April 26, 1790; 3.
Richard Kissam, born 1791, married Jane
Benson; 4. Philip Livingston, born February,
1793; 5. Helene, born November 25, 1794; 6.
Adrian Kissam, mentioned below; 7. Henry H.,
July 15, 1801; 8. Charles Ogden, December
30, 1807.
(V) Dr.
Adrian Kissam Hoffman, son of Philip
Livingston and Helene (Kissam) Hoffman, was
born March 26, 1797, died May 6, 1871. He
was a physician and resided at Sing, New
York. He married, February 26, 1825, Jane
Ann, born April 20, 1801, died February 11,
1876, daughter of the Hon. Dr. John
Thompson, of Saratoga county, New York, and
Mary (Lyell) Thompson. Children: 1.
Cornelia, born 1825, married Alfred Buckhont;
2. John Thompson, born 1828, married Ella
Starkweather; 3. Mary Evelyn, mentioned
below; 4. Emma Kissam, born 1818, married
the Rev. Minor M. Wells; 5. Catherine
Coolidge, born 1839, married (first) Charles
C. Hyatt, (second) General W. H. Morris.
(VI) Mary Evelyn, daughter of Dr. Adrian
Kissam and Jane Ann (Thompson) Hoffman,
was born in 1830. She married in
1848, Colonel Charles Oliver Joline, (see
Joline III).
BARNS.
Regarding the surname, Barns or Barnes,
Lower says that it is origin the same
as Berners. According to the Domesday
Book of England, Hugh de Berners, as a
tenant in chief held Eversdan, county
Cambridge, England. The Itin. Norm.
mentions six localities called Bernieres
in different parts of Normandy, bur which
of them, if any, is the cradle of the
race is unknown. A different origin
is assigned in the Archaeological
Journal, which says: "O. Fr.
Bernier, a
Page 91
Vassal who paid berenage,
a feudal due for the support of the lord's
hounds." The name may in other
cases be derived from residence near a
monastic or manorial barn.
There are several Barns families in the
United States that are not traceable to
a common origin, and it would be impossible
to find a common original for them in
England, from which presumably most of
them came. The Barns of the East
Hampton family are certainly descended
from William Barnes, who died December
1, 1699, and Elizabeth, his wife.
But the parentage of william has not been
ascertained with absolute certainty.
Tradition says that he was the son of
Charles and Mary Barnes, who have been
traced at East Hampton, Long island, in
the period 1544-63. All efforts
to find the ancestry of William in any
part of new England or Old England have
failed, and it is certain that he was
not descended from any of the other early
Barnes settled on Long Island; so that,
if he was not a son of Charles, we know
nothing of his ancestry.
(I) Charles
Barnes, the supposed progenitor of the
Barnes family of East Hampton, Long Island,
was born at Eastwinch, Norfolkshire,
England, about 1615, came to America and is
supposed to have returned to England and
died there. He was schoolmaster at East
Hampton, Long Island, between 1655 and
1663. Under date of July 6, 1655, an
account is given of his ejecting Daniel
Fairfield from the school-house for
unbecoming language and conduct. In the
same year he entered an earmark for his
cattle. On September 15, 1657, he obtained
judgment against John Mulford, Thomas Baker
and John Hand, three pounds sterling each
for slander. On October 6, 1657, at the
general court a thirteen acre lot, without
meadow, was awarded to him. In 1663 he
executed a power of attorney to his wife.
On November 18, 1663, at Southampton, Long
Island, Captain Scott asked one hundred
pounds sterling from Charles Barns for
slander. Defendant made acknowledgment and
was forgiven but must pay costs. In the
same year, on account of Mr. Odell, Charles
barns was held in ten pounds for the
December court. He appears to have been a
man of considerable spirit, adding not a
little to the animation of the small
community in which he was a prominent
figure. He married a woman whose first name
was Mary. Children: 1. William, mentioned
below; 2. Amy, born in East Hampton, Long
Island.
(II) William
Barns, the supposed son of Charles and Mary
Barnes or barns, was born probably in
England, and died at East Hampton, Long
Island, December 1, 1699. Several tracts of
land in East Hampton, Long Island, were
allotted to him in 1653. He entered
earmarks for his cattle at a date not
clearly indicated. The town meeting at
Southampton in 1672 granted unto William
Barns and John Rose should have ten acres of
land at Sagabonack, adjoining the house lot
of William Barns, instead of the land which
Rose was to have taken up at the Mill Stone
brook. On April 2, 1681--and it seems in
pursuance of the foregoing-- John Lupton
received land from John rose upon the
account of William Barns.
At East
Hampton, April 4, 1699, a highway is
mentioned as "flanking tot he westward side
of William Barns Lot.," On April 16 land
was assigned to William Barns and his
brothers, except Thomas (these were the
children of William). On May 7, 1708, land
was drawn by the widow of William Barns. On
April 4, 1710, there was a vote in the town
meeting and action thereupon, May 13, 1710,
by which land was allotted to the heirs of
William Barns. About the same time in an
account of each man's right of commonage the
heirs of William Barns, deceased, were
credited with four acres, two roods. Of the
children of William Barns, Thomas is
distinctly named the eldest son. The order
of their birth has not been ascertained, but
they are given here as they are given by
Hedges and Howell, except that Matthew is
put before Isaac, because in several
conveyances, in which their names appear
jointly, the name of Matthew precedes that
of Isaac, which suggests that Matthew was
the elder of the two. William married a
woman named Elizabeth, who died February 28,
1724, "aged near eighty." Children: 1.
Thomas, who married (first) before March 3,
1692, the widow of Thomas Bee, who died
January 26, 1701, (second) march 18, 1702,
Mindwell Dibble. 2. Benjamin, known as the
"Deacon," born about 1671, died July 23,
1740; supposed to have
Page 92
married a woman whose
first name was Abigail and had a child
baptized at Branford, Connecticut, in
August,. 1701. 3. Stephen,
married Mary Barns, daughter of Hannah
(Linsley) Barns, and removed to Branford.
4. Matthew, died February 6, 1703, married,
September, 1702, Elizabeth Leeds or Leek.
5. Isaac, mentioned below. 6.
Nathaniel, died October 5, 1715, "childless."
7. Samuel, married, February 21, 2705,
Elizabeth Dyke. 8. Recompense, died September
15, 1739, "childless."
9. William, died August 26, 1706; married
Mary Rogers, who died May 9, 1705.
10. Mary, who "owned the covenant,"
September 20, 1713, and had a son, Ezra,
baptized the same day. 11.
Hannah, died February 13, 1742, "aged
between sixty and seventy years."
(III) Isaac,
son of William and Elizabeth Barns, was born
at East Hampton, Long Island, about 1675,
died August 20, 1769. He is mentioned by
Pelletreau as a native of Southampton, and
as descended from Charles Barns, the first
schoolmaster in that town. On March 18,
1694, Isaac Barns entered the earmark for
his cattle at East Hampton. On September
25, 1701, a conveyance was made to him as of
East Hampton, weaver, by Thomas Barns, and
on May 31, 1702, a conveyance of land was
made by Robert Parsons to Matthew Barns,
Isaac Barns and Samuel Barns, in exchange
for other land. On March 13, 1703, a
conveyance was made by Thomas Barns to
Matthew Barns and Isaac Barns of land that
had belonged to William Barns, deceased. On
April 13, 1704, Isaac Barns, husbandman,
received a conveyance of land from Samuel
Barns and on march 30, 1705, Isaac Barns,
brickmaker, received a conveyance of land
from Jacob Schillinx. It is thus evident
that besides weaving Isaac must have engage
in husbandry and brickmaking also, unless
there was another Isaac Barns. On July 25,
1705, Isaac Barns, weaver, received a
conveyance of land from Samuel Barns, and on
June 2, 1709, he received a conveyance of
land from Recompense Barns. There is a
further record to the effect that Isaac,
still described as a weaver, had on March
17, 1710, other dealings in land.
Isaac Barns
married, April 19, 1704, Anna, daughter of
Noah and Elizabeth (Taintor) Rogers.
Children: 1. Isaac, mentioned below. 2.
Patience, baptized March 30, 1707, married,
October 2, 1729, Cornelius Van Scoyeck, of
Oyster Bay; she "owned the Covenant,"
November 22, 1724, and had a child, Zerviah,
baptized on the same date, who married, May
20, 1745, Uzziel Cook. 3. Elizabeth,
baptized March 20, 1709. 4. Anna, baptized
November 21, 1713, died December 26, 1714.
5. Jonathan, baptized April 22, 1716, died
October 17, 1722. 6. Anna, baptized March
22, 1724.
(IV) Isaac
(2), eldest son of Isaac (1) and Anna
(Rogers) Barns, was born at East Hampton,
Long Island, January 29, 1705 , died April
22, 1772. He took considerable interest in
military affairs and was known as the
captain. In 1727, on the question of
pasturage rights at Montauk, he was credited
with 15, 14, and 5. On April 3, 1732, at
the town meeting, he was chosen a trustee.
On April 6, 1736, the town meeting
authorized a division of land, and on June
4, 1736, fifty and a half acres at Hog Creek
was allotted to Isaac Barns. On April 5,
1737, at the town meeting, he was chosen
collector and again on April 4, 1738. On
February 6, 1744, the town meeting empowered
the trustees to apportion land and Isaac
Barns got thirty-nine and a half acres and
thirty-nine poles. On the same date there
was further apportionment of land and Isaac
Barns and Isaac Barns, Jr., got seven and
three-quarters and thirty-one poles On
April 5, 1743, at the town meeting, Captain
Isaac Barns was chosen a surveyor of
highways. In 1747 a drawing of lots took
place and Isaac Barns and son got seven
acres, three roods and thirty-one poles. In
1753 a town meeting was called, and Isaac
Barns, Jr., was chosen a trustee, and in
1754 at another town meeting Isaac Barns,
Esq., was chosen as assessor. There is an
other record tot he effect that at a town
meeting held in 1755 Captain Isaac Barns was
chosen a trustee. There are similar records
showing like elections of Captain Barns in
1757-59-61. On September 29, 1762m Isaac
Barns was included in the commissions of the
justices of the peace to be assistant
justice of the court of common pleas of the
county of Suffolk. On April 5, 1763, at the
town meeting, Isaac Barns, Esq., was chosen
a trustee, and on April 2, 1765, he
Page 93
was re-elected.
He was chosen as assessor in 1766.
In 1771 he received a conveyance of line
land, lot 43, of Napeague Pines.
He married
(first) June 17, 1725, Sarah, daughter of
David Concklin; (second), March 7, 1737,
Hannah (Ludlow) Conkling, of East Hampton,
born October 5, 1715, died August 27, 1759.
Children: 1. Isaiah, baptized November 6,
1726, died January 27, 1733. 2. Keziah,
baptized August 4, 1728, married , September
7, 1749, Jeremiah Sherrill. 3. Tabitha,
baptized January 25, 1730. 4. Elizabeth,
baptized April 21, 1734. 5. A son, died
October 14, 1736, aged seventeen days. 6.
Isaac, born July 1, 1738, baptized July 23,
1738, died October 21, 1758, in command of a
company of provincial soldiers in Cape
Breton, Nova Scotia, during the French and
Indian War. 7. Nathaniel, born March 18,
1740, removed to Westerly, Rhode Island, and
married Elizabeth Brown. 8. Hannah, born
March 22, 1742, baptized April 18, 1742. 9.
Matthew, born November 20, 1744, baptized
December 16, 1744. 10. Isaac, born January
29, 1747. 11. Anna, born July 18, 1749.
12. Jonathan, born April 23, 1752. 13.
Sarah, born December 18, 1754. 14. Isaac,
mentioned below.
(IV)
Nathaniel, son of Isaac (3) Barns, was born
in Litchfield county, Connecticut, September
23, 1782, died at Middle Hope, in the town
of Newburg, Orange County, New York, in
1870. He went with his parents to
Cooperstown in early life, and remained
there until bout the year 1830. His next
step was to engage in road building which he
did at the rate of ten dollars a month and
his board. In 1828 he came to Orange
county, New York, went into partnership with
his brother, and between them they purchased
a yoke of oxen and engaged in the road
building business for a number of years.
Nathaniel built the old Milton turnpike, and
the pike from Cedar Cliff to Plattekill,
Ulster county. He also built the road from
Balmville to Plattekill, and the Snake Hill
turnpike out of Newburg. He settled
eventually at Middle Hope, in the township
of Newburg, where he purchased a farm of
eighty-six acres. He remained working on
this farm until his death, supplementing his
agricultural pursuits with occasional
commercial transactions of various sorts.
He married, January 21, 1828, Effie,
daughter of Dr. William Dusenberre, of
Modena, New York. Children: 1. William
D. 2. Nathaniel, mentioned below. 3.
Mary E.
(VII)
Nathaniel (2), second son of Nathaniel (1)
and Effie (Dusenberre) Barns, was born near
Newburg, Orange County, New York, February
20, 1831. He was educated in the district
schools of Newburg, and at a high school at
Marlborough, New York, later teaching school
himself during one winter term. He did not
feel inclined, however, to continue in this
occupation and when he was able he worked
one of his father's farms on shares, keeping
at this work for two years. He then bought
a tract of forty acres from his father and
cultivated it. then he took a farm of
ninety acres with his father. This farm his
father later gave to him, deed for ninety
acres, and part of it is still in his
possession. He has become consequently well
known as a farmer and grower of small
fruits, which he has made his specialty.
All of Mr. Barns' time has, however, not
been given to the land. he has taken
considerable interest in the public
questions of the day, and has taken no small
part in local affairs. In politics he is
and has always been a Democrat. In religion
he is a Methodist, and he has been a member
of the Methodist church of Middle Hope,
Newburg, for the last sixty years. He was
elected assessor of the district, and
retained the position for a period
Page 94
of nine years.
He was excise commissioner for two years,
and from the year 1865 to the year 1870
he held the office of the first supervisor
of the town of Newburg, and in 1870 was
chosen chairman of the board.
He married, in 1853, Martha, daughter
of James Waring. There were
five children of the marriage, two of
whom are now deceased, the surviving children
being: 1. James W., engaged
in the dry goods business in Newburg,
New York; married (first) March 20, 1882,
Sarah F., daughter of Nelson Owen, of
Goshen, New York; child, Nathaniel Waring,
born July 25, 1884, now professor in De
Pauw University at Greencastle, Indiana,
and who married, December 15, 1900, Mabel
Bonnell, married (second) October 5, 1911,
Cornelia Deyo, daughter of Jacob A. Bloomer,
of Fostertown, no children. 2. Charles
L., engaged in the produce business in
New York City; married Kate Baumes, of
Coeymans, New York: children: Bertha,
and Martha. 3. Emma, married
Arthur Meyers, of Newburg.
RING.
There are many old towns in the British
Isles having or having had an open space
or circus where informer times bullbaiting
and such like pastimes took place and
these are sometimes called rings.
Possibly the name Ring may have been assumed
or bestowed on families because of their
proximity to such places. The name
Ring is known in England, Wales and Scotland,
and in those countries the above derivation
seems not improbably. Ring is a
surname fairly prevalent in Ireland also.
But the Irish family is a branch of the
royal "Line of Heber," the chief
ancestor being Daire Cearb, son of Olioll
Flann-Beag, and brother of Lughaidh, who
is No. 88 on the Heber line. The
ancient form of the surname in Ireland
and the Gaelic provinces of Scotland was
O'Billrian, meaning the "descendants
of Billrain," who was the son of
Dubartach. The arms of this family
are: Argent on a bend gules three
crescents of the first. Crest:
A hand vested sa, cuffed, or, holding
a roll of paper.
(I) Benjamin Ring, the first ancestor
of the ring family here dealt with in
America, was born in Wales, died in Pennsylvania.
He emigrated to Pennsylvania about 1750
and erected mills on the Brandywine.
The battle of Brandywine was fought partly
on the farm of Benjamin ring, whose house
served as headquarters for Washington
and his staff, consisting of Lafayette,
Pulaski, Knox and others, when making
themselves acquainted with the surrounding
country and deciding on the battle ground.
Although Benjamin Ring was a Quaker and
on that account prevented from taking
an active part in the war it was well
known that he was a strong sympathizer
with the patriot cause. Just before
the battle an American spy informed him
that it would be unsafe for him to remain
with his family, that they had better
leave taking with them what valuables
they could carry. His wife, daughters,
and young son, who drove, hastily left
in a carriage, carrying wit them nine
hundred dollars in gold, a quantity of
silver plate and other articles, in all
amounting to quite large sum, which,
the roads becoming blocked by troops,
they were obliged to abandon, making their
escape across the fields. Benjamin
Ring with two companions joined them on
horseback, and after seeing them to a
place of safety, returned to Washington,
who had just heard that his retreat was
likely to be cut off. Hearing the
conversation he rode up to Washington
and pointed out a way by taking which
he would cut off nearly two miles.
He said that he would pilot them, but
being stout and advanced in years would
not be suitable as his friend, Willian
Harvey, a young man and fine horseman,
and one in whom the general could feel
every confidence. By hard riding
across fields and over fences the balance
of the army was rejoined and the retreat
made in safety. Benjamin ring's
house, which was of stone, was used as
a fort alternately by the contending parties.
The roof was riddled with grape shot,
one six pounder going through the gable
and there was not a place on the walls
large enough to pay one's hand upon that
did not bear a mark. Everything
inside the house was destroyed, the farm
was cleared of cattle, and not a fence
left on the place. Benjamin ring
married Rachel James. they had eight
children, among them Nathan, mentioned
below.
(II)
Nathaniel, son of Benjamin and Rachel
(James) ring, was born in 1767, at
Brandywine, Pennsylvania, and died in
Page 95
1850. He left
his native place at an early age and emigrated
to Cornwall, Orange County, New York.
He was a millwright by trade, and was
captain of a sloop that ran between New
York city and Cornwall, Orange County,
for a score of years. He was elected
a ruling elder of New Windsor Church,
July 6, 1783. He married, January
6, 1793, Martha Clark, born April
30, 1770, died February, 1854, daughter
of Jeremiah Clark, of Cornwall, Orange
County New York, who was born in Bedford,
Westchester County, New York, in 1730,
died May 30, 1808. He married Martha
Newman, November 27, 1752. He was
elected a ruling elder of New Windsor
Church. He was a man of much influence
and prominence and a firm friend of liberty
and national union. He passed the
greater part of his life at Cornwall,
Orange County, New York. He was
a member of the first provincial congress
from Orange County in 1775, of the second
provincial congress in 1775 and 1776,
and of the fourth provincial congress
and representation convention of 1776
and 1777, at the last session of which
the first constitution of the state of
New York was formed at Kingston, April
30, 1777. He was a member of the
assembly of New York from Orange County,
beginning with the first assembly of the
state, which met at Kingston, September
1, 1777, and of the assemblies of later
years. He also filled the offices
of sheriff and lay judge of Orange County,
New York.
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